Saturday, January 7, 2017

Listening to PCG's Radio (January 7, 2017)

PCG continues to produce radio shows to promote their doctrines and teachings in the hope of acquiring more tithes paying members.

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Brent Nagtegaal hosted two radio broadcasts denouncing the Obama administration abstaining from voting on a United Nations Security Council resolution concerning the State of Israel. (Trumpet Daily (December 27, 2016) and Watch Jerusalem (January 1, 2017).)

He emotively intones that East Jerusalem is on the chopping black and that this is a call for the State of Israel to "surrender" East Jerusalem even though the 161 nation states that recognize the State of Israel have never recognized it as having any right to rule the land acquired as a result of the 1967 Six Day War. This is why the United States, Britain, Australia and many other countries located their embassies in Tel Aviv and not Jerusalem. Since 1967 those nation states never viewed East Jerusalem as legally belonging to the State of Israel. This includes the United States, Britain and Australia.

He also used to portray President Obama as being terribly hostile to the State of Israel. That the vote occurred just before Hanukkah is emphasized even though PCG does not observe that festival.

At one point he condemns the resolution as paving the way to boycotts of the State of Israel. He states that international law requires that economic activities in the State of Israel internationally recognized territory (its 1949-67 borders) and outside of it need to be distinguished. He then complains that no companies in Israel makes this distinction and so, he concludes, that calls to boycott the settlements are ineffective and may lead to boycotts of the State of Israel as a whole.

The Watch Jerusalem broadcast ends with Nagtegaal insisting that it is important to watch events in the Holy Land once East Jerusalem gets taken away from the State of Israel it will be a sign that Christ will soon return. In other words the deaths, pain and suffering that has been endured by so many Israelis and Palestinians over the years are used as a prop to make predictions about when Christ is to return.

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Trumpet Daily (January 3, 2016) features Brad MacDonald making a rather astonishingly bitter and negative broadcast scare mongering against supposedly out of control teenagers and saying it is party Obama's fault. He moans that Obama has fundamentally transformed America and that Trump will not be able to reverse what Obama has done.

He insists that welfare reform is necessary but those he receive such things will be reluctant to give it up. He does this even though PCG is gets entitlements to its income that is not taxed because it is recognized as a religion. That income which does not get taxed is an entitlement. One also wonders why he does not talk about tax havens. He excoriates President Obama for encouraging Black Lives Matter protesters.

He scare mongers that Obama will not go away after he leaves office but will still be working. He refuses to give his listeners even the pleasure of knowing that Obama will be out of power soon. He cites Melanie Phillips, a right wing British columnist who is very often cited by PCG's writers.

Near the end he notes that many Republicans are hopeful about Trump but, he grouses, that they are wrong to be optimistic and Gerald Flurry's 2013 booklet, America Under Attack, is in full effect even though Trump will soon be president.

If one wants to capture that miserable worldview that PCG's leaders so often promotes it may be well glimpsed in this broadcast.

Sam Livingston discussed Trump and possible effects his presidency will bring. He mentioned The Art of the Deal even though that book's actual author publicly disavowed Trump. He also speculates that Trump and his cabinet could make America prosper temporarily before their prophetic scenario which calls for America to soon fall comes into effect.

They speculate that Europe will lurch from crisis to crisis and, it is speculated, that this will make Europeans yearn for an authoritarian strongman. Since 2009 PCG has often scare mongers that Karl Theodor zu Guttenburg may be the European dictator fated to conquer the United States.

Brent Nagtegaal speculated that there could be an armed uprising in East Jerusalem to take advantage of the recent resolution. The State of Israel has a very well equipped army which has a qualitative military edge compared with its neighbors. Their army can easily access East Jerusalem. So this seems to be quite an absurd suggestion. About 25% of its defense expenditure is supplied as foreign aid by the United States. Furthermore one wonders why he stays there if something like that is about to occur.

And so it may be seen that PCG continues to promote themselves through their radio station. However they are but false prophets. Their dire words will fail.

If You are new please read this

Hand in Hand for Syria

Keep Somalia's Remittances Open

I encourage readers to sign this petition from Oxfam calling upon the U.S. government to let the Somali diaspora continue to send remittance to their loved ones in Somalia.

Moves have been made to shut down such remittances from Somalis in America. Many Somalis need these remittances. The remittances to Somalia are larger than foreign aid contributions and are a lifeline to these people caught in trouble and turmoil.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

Truth about Roderick C. Meredith

What sort of man is he? A man who could say things like this.

"Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings. Some of our weaker members apparently do not realize that this man is in direct rebellion against God and His government! We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to one whose gross immorality, whose long standing "play acting" and hypocrisy, and whose direct insubordination to the Government of God has long been and is now a source of confusion and DIVISION among God's people. So, as per Mr. Armstrong's instruction, I charge and exhort every one of you faithful ministers of the living Christ to explain this in no uncertain terms to your members, to warn them about this cause of division and then to disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows." (Roderick C. Meredith, Pastor's Report, May 21, 1979, pp. 1-2.)

David Robinson on Roderick C. Meredith

"During the ten years I have been an employee of the Worldwide Church, you have been poorly spoken of by most of the ministers and employees I have known. I vividly remember the absolute unbounded glee that was openly expressed by a good number of respected men in the church when you were first "shanghaied." [In 1972.] I could begin by naming names, which I am sure would shock you. I was one of the few who stood, where possible, for you. Your tenure as superintendent of ministers, as I believe the office was then called, was looked on as nightmarish. While you held office during the years of growth, most of those whom I know gave you very little credit for that growth. Almost everyone whom I know, whether they be former friends of yours, or continuing foes, recalls insensitive and terrible things you have done. Without exception, at least among my acquaintances, they all credit you with an unbridled lust for power and list you as one who is willing to pay the price of gaining that power, no matter what. I have, through many of the last few years, believed you had principles you would not violate. Many a man of experience in the church assured me of my error. Events have proven me wrong and them right. Mr. Armstrong has himself been widely quoted as saying of you that you were so righteous that you were so "righteous you were unrighteous." " (David Robinson, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web, Chapter 16, p. 207.)

Of course it is impossible for me to personally verify these assertions but people deserve to know what this knowledgeable man had to say about him.